Arjun Erigaisi from Nagpur emerges victorious in Stepan Avagyan Memorial tournament

Arjun Erigaisi, India’s 20-year-old super GM, continues to make waves in the world of chess as he clinched his second classical title of the year at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial round-robin tournament in Jermuk, Armenia. With an impressive performance rating of 2823, Arjun dominated the competition and finished 1.5 points ahead of his closest rivals.

Having recently climbed to world No. 4 after his stellar performance in the French Team Championship, Arjun is now just 17 points away from surpassing world No. 3 Fabiano Caruana. With almost 20 rating points gained in just two tournaments, Arjun is proving to be a force to be reckoned with in the chess world.

In the final round of the tournament, Arjun showcased his strategic prowess by securing a draw against Armenia’s GM Manuel Petrosyan to seal his victory. With this win, Arjun now has two classical titles under his belt this year, having previously triumphed at the Menorca Open in April.

Looking ahead, Arjun will be taking a break from Classical chess to focus on shorter formats, starting with the Leon Masters later this month. With a couple of FIDE Circuit eligible rapid and blitz tournaments on the horizon, Arjun is determined to continue his winning streak and make his mark in the shorter format.

With 57.6 points already in his kitty and sitting at the second position on the FIDE Circuit leaderboard, Arjun is well on his way to potentially qualifying for the prestigious Candidates tournament in 2026. His recent success in Armenia has only solidified his position as one of India’s brightest chess talents on the international stage.